Yin Yang
by Knight of the Sun
Summary: After a failed mission, a frustrated Koenma fires the Reikai Tentai. He appoints a new detective:a shy, mysterious girl named Kai, who also happens to be the granddaughter of Genkai. What secrets does she hide? Chapter 11 up.
1. Failure and Bad choices

Ooooo-kay! Here is my mucho promised rewrite! Thank you to my reviewers, for giving me courage, ideas, and all that other crap.

**Cartoon-Protector**: Thank you for the compliment. I like describing stuff. It's fun. Thank you, also, for adding me to your list. That makes...lesse...::stops to count on fingers:: FIVE! Five members! Yay!

**Moon Archer**: Wow, you're pathetic. ::drools over Kurama background:: Maybe not...ANYway, I'm glad you like the story. Needless to say(Then why do I say it?), I updated.

**Neo-Blackheart**: Thank you for the tip. I noticed my errors after I read over it. Oops...:( I fixed them in this rewrite. Plus, I put a little bit of foreshadowing in it. Thank for the suggestion. You're right, it works better that way.

**A/N**: Are you tired of me yet? I wouldn't care anyway. I tried to make this version a lot better than the other version; I actually had a ::gasp:: ROUGH DRAFT! So, can you, the appreciated readers, please review it again? Please? Hasta luego, amigos(I'm taking Spanish this year.)

**Disclaimer**: I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, A. I'd be rich, and B. I would probably murder Kurama, since he is much too hot to live. Hiei, on the other hand, would probably then kill me....My imagination scares me. Enjoy!

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter 1 (Revised): Failure and Bad choices....Or were they?

"Ow! Damn, that hurts." Yusuke complained while Keiko and Yukina attempted to bandage his cold, wet, and bloody arm. They ignored his continual whine, but some people aren't as tolerant.

"Deal with it, Yusuke." Hiei commented coldly, glaring at no one in particular. He had been in a bad mood since returning from their recent mission, just moments ago. He sat up from his bed in the infirmary and started toward the door, as if he were going to walk out. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

"Calm yourself, Hiei. We all had a rough time, I'm sure of it." Kurama said, trying to recall their first failed mission.

* * *

_Flashback

* * *

_

Thunder crashed in the distance and rain fell mercilessly as Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei stared into the dark forest of Makai, each wondering what dangers awaited them.

"So this is it, huh? Looks like a horror-movie cutout." Yusuke commented, prodding the electric aura that surrounded the forest. He immediately received a shock, which knocked him to the ground. Kurama dragged him up by the arms, ignoring Yusuke's slight twitching.

"This forest contains many secrets, Yusuke." Kurama answered, sneaking a glance at Hiei, who blushed ever so slightly. Kurama hid a smirk as Kuwabara looked between the two of them, bewildered.

"What? What'd I miss?" He said stupidly, looking so eagerly between them that he almost slipped on the muddy ground.

"More things than I could count, baka." Hiei snapped, staring intently at a rustling bush. It instantly caught fire and a small 'yelp' was heard from it, unheard by the others, who looked on in bewilderment (Except Kurama, who looked on in understanding) as to what Hiei was doing. Hiei unsheathed his katana and slashed the shrub in half as a dark blur fled from it, leaving behind two strands of hair: one short white strand and one long black strand. They glowed with a faint golden fire, which, when Hiei touched the strands, immediately burned them, destroying any evidence.

"I'd call that a clue." Yusuke said, joining Hiei in the forest, along with Kurama, who suddenly shivered, his green eyes showing fear and recognition.

"There is a dark aura around this area. We must use caution." He said, walking into the darkness surrounding them.

The two nodded (Hiei did his "Hn.") and followed him, deserting Kuwabara, who mumbled incoherently and ran clumsily after them. They wondered around for a while, thinking about their mission: to capture a certain demon and bring it back to Reikai headquarters. They knew almost nothing about this demon; only that it was a powerful demon of darkness and had committed many crimes, many of which rivaled the crimes of Yoko.

Suddenly, they heard a twig snap to their left and immediately produced their weapons. Kurama, however, stood stock still, staring at the darkness. Yusuke was about to speak up, when a look from Hiei silenced him. The rustle of plants was heard, after which followed a muffled curse. Kurama strode calmly into the dense foliage, only to be blasted out a second later with a bright golden flash. The other three tensed up as a figure emerged from the foreboding foliage.

The figure ran her, for it was a curvaceous, attractive girl, fingers through silky, slightly disheveled black hair, accompanied with prominent white bangs, which hung limp, wet from the torrential downpour, in her pupil-less red eyes. She looked at the hair skeptically, blending the bright white against her dark head by pushing the bangs back. By doing so, she revealed a silver crescent moon shape in the middle of her forehead, adding to her odd appearance. Not only did she have the moon shape, but she also had three thin silver stripes on her face: one across her nose and one on each cheek. From her ear, there hung the 'yang' symbol of the yin-yang. Upon her head, there sat a pair of devilish ebony horns, and a matching tail protruded from her backside. She wore a revealing, and she had a lot to reveal, low cut halter top and a punkish denim skirt, complete with zippers. On her feet, she wore white high top converse, permanently stained with black mud. Yusuke and Hiei prepared to attack her (Kuwabara didn't fight girls), but she ignored them and walked toward a tree, where Kurama was now lying unconscious on the muddy ground.

She smirked at his unconscious form, lowered herself to his level, and whispered, barely audible, "You can never elude me, Yoko." She kissed him on the lips, a short but passionate kiss, and then continued, in a menacing tone, "Never." She smacked his unconscious body so hard that he flew several feet, once again hitting a tree, but, instead of delving further into unconsciousness, he awoke, slightly disoriented.

"Wha....Howa.....?" He stammered incoherently, surveying the surroundings. He spotted the demoness, who smirked, and all his memories came flooding back. His eyes widened with fear, partially covered by rain-soaked hair, and he scrambled to get up. He was unsuccessful, however, as a faint golden energy rope, marred by the downpour, held him tightly. The demoness laughed manically, as he struggled to speak through a newly-formed golden gag. She turned to the others, just in time to dodge Hiei's katana, slicing through air thick with tension. She grabbed the back of his cloak and dragged him so that he was blocking her from Yusuke's spirit gun. He spat at her feet, disfiguring her shoes even more.

She glared at him and whispered dangerously in his ear, "I haven't forgiven you, either." She pushed him away from her forcefully, knocking him into Kuwabara, who was leaning casually against a tree, unwilling to fight. The two toppled onto the muddy ground, covered from head to foot in the murk. Yusuke glanced at them for half a second, then turned his attention to the demoness, who was beginning to glow golden. Yusuke smirked at her as he aimed his finger, glowing intensely, at her, but she was unfazed. In fact, she laughed.

"And here I thought this would be fun. Oh well, no time now. Sorry, guys, but I'll have to kick your ass some other time. I have things to do, people to see. You know, the usual." She winked at Hiei who scowled, stood up, still dripping mud, and charged at her, unable to contain his anger. Just he sliced and Yusuke fired, she disappeared, leaving behind her a few strands of her hair; a calling card, of sorts.

"Uh, guys? What just happened here?" Kuwabara asked stupidly, trying to brush off the mud. Hiei glared at him, saying 'if you don't know, than I won't tell you', while Yusuke muttered about stupid fools named Kuwabara. After a few minutes of this, Kurama, his bindings gone, answered him.

"She stalked us, was caught, freed herself, insulted us, and escaped, all in less than twenty minutes." He said grimly, brushing himself off as well. Kuwabara nodded comprehendingly and followed as the other three began to walk out of the forest, the mud washing off in the still-pouring rain.

Right as they were about to exit the forest, a horde of low-class demons appeared before them, and a familar shadowy figure drawled, "Meet my minions. Hasta luego, losers." and a flash of gold aura merged with a particularly bright flash of lightning. The demons charged, each person taking on at least six at once. They never seemed to end, and, as the boys fatigued, they were less cautious, sustaining many injuries but eventually killing them all. An evil laugh sounded in the distance, heard only by Hiei and Kurama. Kurama ignored it, busy formulating a plan to capture her, and Hiei screamed telepathically, _I challenge you, bitch!_

In her lookout, she smiled, thinking, _I guess that's a pass..._ She sighed as she began to glow. _Too bad you'll never remember..._ She yelled an incantation, causing a gargantuan flash of lightning, and formed ninja stars out of her energy, unheisitantly throwing them at the four boys as they entered a portal. Her aim was perfect; each boy was struck at the temple and their memories of the fight were erased altogether.

* * *

_Present day_

* * *

"Hn." Hiei replied, turning his back to the group. He hated this, the 'mission' thing. He was a demon; why should _he_, of all people, help out some stupid ningens. Except for the fox. That was the only reason he stayed. He didn't want Kurama to suffer alone. _Especially with that baka..._he thought, glaring at Kuwabara, sleeping in a corner of the infirmary. All of a sudden, a door near Kuwabara burst open, waking him up with a start. He looked around stupidly until he saw the person entering. Koenma, in his teenage form, stamped in, soaking wet, extremely disheveled, and radiating anger. Yusuke laughed out loud, while Kurama hid his amused smile and Hiei smirked, all at Kuwabara's idiocy. Koenma, who was already angry with them, positively exploded, thinking they were laughing at him, as the other boys' failure to contain their amusement. 

"What the hell are you laughing at?! You have no right to laugh!" He glared at them in turn, glowing with anger. Yusuke stopped laughing, and the other two became very attentive and serious. Kuwabara, however, didn't (Even though it was him they had laughed at). Koenma picked him up by his shirt front with unexpected strength and said, eyes dangerous, "Stop laughing." Kuwabara immediately shut up, and was dropped to the ground, landing hard on his head. Koenma cleared his throat and regained his limited composure. "You have failed me for the last time, Yusuke. I-"

"Toddler, this is the first time we've failed." Yusuke interrupted exasperatedly. Koenma got even angrier.

"So! That's not the point, Yusuke! The point is that I'm sick of your attitude! I've decided to replace you." This last sentence had the desired effect: everyone was speechless. Until Hiei spoke up.

"I agree that his attitude is annoying, but that is no reason to replace him. Unless you actually manage to find someone with power equal to his, which is highly unlikely." Hiei said skeptically. Koenma's anger was replaced with unmistakable pride. He then replied,

"Actually, I have found someone. Her power is even greater than yours, Yusuke." Koenma looked around arrogantly to see the reaction. Hiei hid his surprise with difficulty, as well as Kurama, who thought, _This is bad_. Yusuke, on the other hand, was visibly stunned.

"He-Her!? You're replacing me with a girl?!" Keiko, who had having a quiet conversation with Yukina since Koenma entered, heard this, and walked up to him. _Oh shit..._he thought, immediately regreting his words.

"What's so wrong with girls, Yusuke?" She questioned in a stern tone. However, she didn't give him time to answer, as she slapped him immediately after asking, knocking him to the floor. She made a noise of indignation and returned to her conversation with Yukina, paying no notice to the others. Yusuke got up, grumbling incoherently. Koenma smirked and continued.

"As I was saying, _she_" He put emphasis on the 'she', "will be your successor. She has immeasurable power, and was trained by Genkai. In, fact, she is Genkai's granddaughter, so be polite!" Yusuke eyes sparkled with defiance; he had no intention of being polite. "Kai, get in here!" Koenma yelled through the door. The one he had called 'Kai' walked in meekly, head pointing down.

"He-Hello." She said meekly as she went out of a bow. Her pale face seemed ghostly, contrasted against her other features. Her silky black hair, pulled into a messy ponytail and as long as Kurama's, if not longer, caught briefly on her earring: the 'yin' side of the yin-yang. She had prominent white bangs in the front, which flopped over a dark blue bandana. Her crimson eyes, a shade darker than Hiei's and Yukina's, were pupil-less, indicating that she was a demon, and sparkled with old hurt. On her face, she had three blue stripes: one on each cheek and one across her nose. She wore a uniform from Kurama's school: a blood red blouse and a matching skirt, covered by a tan and unflattering overcoat, supplied by her. She had her legs and arms covered, whether intentional or not. She wore white high top converse, dark stains covering them. On one of her shoes, the faint stain of spit was outlined against a particualrly fresh stain. She also had some sort of necklace, but its charm was covered by her blouse. She kept her hand held tightly on her heart, twitching slightly, presumably where the charm was. She stared at the occupants of the room nervously, as if afraid they would begin laughing hysterically at her. It was all too clear that she almost non-existent self esteem. _Her appearance....she's too familar..._ Hiei thought suddenly, a thought striking his spikey head. He began prying into her mind, searching for something to clue him in. Suddenly, a flood of unwanted memories flooded her head, fragments of which he saw. Both Kai and Hiei collapsed to the marble floor as the others watched, terror evident on their chalk white faces.

A/N: Yes, I know, I already did this. Well, too bad. I'm doing it again. Ahem...yeah. How did you like this version? I liked it a lot better. But it's your opinion that matters, not mine. No flames, por favor. They will be used to burn Kuwabara if I get them. Helpful criticisim is appreciated, though. You people must hate me right now. All these cliff-hangers...tsk, tsk. Please read and review! Mucho Gracias!


	2. Unexpected Events

Hello once again, my faithful readers. I have (finally) updated! This is dedicated to Demonphonix, a new user on this site, and to all those who have had a bad past. Don't let it eat away at you!

Once again, thank to my reveiwers (Even though I didn't HAVE any......That was my fault anyway... :/ ). Here's the new chapter, so....Yeah. Laters.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything. All that I own is Kai, the poor girl. I WANT Kurama!

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Two: Unexpected Events

"Hey, shorty's finally getting up." said a slow voice as Hiei regained consciousness. He took a second to register the insult, but when he did, he sat bolt upright and socked Kuwabara in the face. "Ow..." muttered Kuwabara, clutching his badly-bleeding nose gently. He looked longingly at Yukina, as if asking her help, but she was already occupied and ignored his complaints, to Hiei's delight.

As Yusuke and Kurama walked over from a corner, Hiei looked around the gleaming white infirmary. He saw Koenma look worriedly at Kai, who was long since conscious and sitting in a dark corner of the room, looking at the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks for unknown reasons. Yukina and Keiko tried to comfort her, to no avail.

Hiei's Jagan burned painfully and the demon suddenly had a flash of something like a memory:

_It was a dark night, and angry yells echoed throughout the street. A young girl, six by the look of her, stood out in torrential rain, allowing her two-toned hair to cover her oddly marked face as her tears blended with the consistent downpour. She wore only a nightgown, but showed no sign of being cold. Her glowing red eyes looked toward a small boy's corpse lying nearby, covered head-to-toe in fresh blood. Black smoke rose from him, as well as from her hands. A woman, looking about thirty, with silky black hair and white streaks cascading through it, tearfully yelled at the girl through a window screen, proclaiming her message through the darkness. __"Stay out, demon bastard! You endanger people! No one is safe around you! My only son...is GONE!"_

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the flash ended, leaving Hiei with a weird feeling inside of his chest. The woman's words echoed through his mind, oddly remniscent to him.

"It was my brother." Kai, suddenly beside him, supplied grimly, trying unsuccessfully to wipe away the tears which marred the markings on her face. She ignored the others' confused stares and, clutching her covered charm tightly, abruptly began to apologize, "I-I'm sorry you had to see that. I di-didn't mean for it to happen." She forced herself to look away from the floor and into his crimson eyes, willing him to understand. He returned the stare, looking shocked. _How? How can she know...? What the hell is going on?!_

Hiei looked away from her, slightly unnerved by her pupil-less eyes, and responded with his usual "Hn." She accepted that and walked away, staring at the floor, seeming to have even less self-esteem than before. _Oh great_, she thought sarcastically, _hated by yet another person..._ Hiei, of course, couldn't hear her thoughts, and he wasn't keen to try again.

"You know, Hiei, you could have been a little nicer to her." commented Kurama quietly, walking closer to him, following Kai's path with his eyes.

"Yeah, Hiei. In case you couldn't tell, I think she's a little insecure. And by a little, I mean a lot." agreed Yusuke, also quiet.

Hiei simply said "Hn", while secretly regretting his actions. _Why does she have to be so damn touchy?_ He thought to himself, although, in his heart, he knew the answer (Or at least part of it).

_It's because she's been hurt_, answered Kurama telepathically, confirming Hiei's guess.

_What? What do you mean, Kurama?_, he responded, trying to play dumb.

_We need to be careful around her. We will undoubtedly be recruited for the new team. _Kurama carefully avoided the question, not knowing the answer himself.

_Why? Tell me, fox! _Hiei shot at him, impatient with Kurama's mental process.

_You could be nicer about it. _He complained, but still answered,_ We are still criminals, Hiei. Besides, wouldn't you rather have a chance to do something, instead of sitting in your tree all day?_

_I don't sit in my tree all day, fox!_

_You know what I mean._

_Hn. Fine._

"Hello? Anyone home? I thought he was conscious, Koenma, sir." said Botan, waving her hand in front of Hiei's eyes, annoying him greatly. Her hand caught fire and she yelped. "I'll take that as a yes." she snapped, then went off to join the girls, who were talking animatedly (Kai stayed quiet, afraid to say something stupid) in the shadowy corner. Koenma cleared his throat, drawing the attention away from Hiei and onto himself. He gulped from nervousness as all eyes were drawn to him.

"You should really break your habit of reading other people's minds, Hiei. See what it gets you?" He lectured. Kai looked down in the corner; Hiei didn't answer, only glared at him. "Fine, don't answer. Anyway, you have a choice. You can either be a member in my new Reikai Tentai" Koenma shot a dirty look at Yusuke, who shot a dirty look back, "or you can go to Reikai Prison."

"Hn. What did the fox chose?"

Koenma opened his mouth to respond when Kai, curiosity getting the better of her, interrupted, "Fox? Who's that?" She then seemed to realize that she had interrupted and added regretfully, "Never mind..." Koenma sighed.

"No, since you asked, Kurama" He pointed out Kurama, "is a fox spirit." Kurama nodded. Kai nodded as well, but as small as possible, as if a normal nod were to bring disastrous consequences. She looked around the room cautiously, as if scared of so many people.

"May I please use a restroom?" She asked Koenma politely. He nodded and gave her the directions. When she had exited the room, Yusuke spoke up.

"Toddler, what's her deal? Is she paranoid or something?" Koenma didn't bother to tell Yusuke off for calling him 'toddler', since, technically, Yusuke didn't work for him anymore.

"She had a disturbing childhood, Yusuke." Koenma paused, sighing. Hiei once again felt that odd feeling. _Pity_, he thought, eyes glassy as he recalled the women's words. Koenma continued, "It's made her very insecure and shy." he finished resentfully. "But she was the only other option, aside from Kuwabara. The choice is obvious." Kuwabara looked from Koenma to Yusuke, and then back to Koenma, trying to figure out what he meant. After a while of him doing this, Hiei got fed up.

"It means that you were too stupid to do the job, baka." He spat, disgust evident with his every word.

"At least I'm not short." The human retorted stupidly, sticking his tongue out at the fire demon.

"Can't you think of anything else to insult me with?"

"Is that a challenge, shorty?"

"Maybe, but, with your brain, you might have mixed it up with a compliment."

"What?!"

"Need I repeat it, baka?"

"Stop it, please!" Kai shouted, having returned from the bathroom. She stood in-between the two boys, glowing with a faint golden aura, halting their fight. Hiei removed his hand from his katana sheath and Kuwabara walked away, muttering something about 'not worth my time.' Hiei glared at him and bit back a retort. Kai smiled at him kindly, ignoring his glare.

Hiei noticed a faint smell of blood about her, and a slight dark spot on her coat. She followed his gaze and hurriedly covered the spot, hiding a wince, and accidentally permitting Hiei a glimpse of a jeweled dagger hilt, sparkling silver against the bright infirmary walls.

Koenma stared at the two dark-haired demons, worried but confused. He again cleared his throat importantly, adjusting his scarf.

Koenma beckoned everyone to him and said, "So, the new Tentai will be as follows: Kai, you will be the 'leader' of sorts." He nodded toward her; she returned the nod, looking mortified, and then returned to her piteous state in the corner. "The other members will be Kurama, Hiei, and...Hmm...Who else wants a spot?" He asked the people gathered around him. Kuwabara began to raise his hand. "NO! Sorry Kuwabara, but we can't afford any mistakes this time around." He lowered his arm, looking crestfallen but confused. To everyone's surprise, Yukina spoke up.

"Koenma, sir, May...May I join?" When Koenma, shocked, didn't answer, she added, "I can be of use. I can heal people when they're injured and I can train-"

Koenma snapped out of his stupor and interrupted, "Are you sure about this, Yukina?" He looked into her eyes and it was obvious that she wanted to join out of concern for Kai. She, too, saw the dark spot. She nodded, icy blue hair swinging across contrasting crimson eyes. "Well....okay. That's that. You will all meet me at Genkai's in a week, where you will receive further instructions. Until then, you will hang around Kai for...." He paused awkwardly, thinking of a word. "Bonding purposes."

Kai looked like her death had come early; her already pale face paled even more, making the thin stripes look as if they were glowing. Yukina and Kurama bowed politely (Kai inclined her head, still pale), while Hiei did his usual "Hn."

**A/N:** Finally! Gosh, that took forever! Okay, well, I hope you enjoy it. I tried really hard, so, yeah. Please reveiw!


	3. Home Sweet Home?

Back again! Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

**Yyhpunk**: Yeah, eventually. Not in the way you would expect...

**LiL KaWaIi AzN PrInCeSs**: Read to find out!

**HarmonyHanyou**: All will be revealed in the end...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own YYH. I only own Kai and the twisted plot.

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Three: Home Sweet Home?

"Ungrateful little..." Yusuke muttered as he exited the gleaming infirmary, Keiko and Kuwabara trailing after him. The carrot-topped teenager waved mournfully to Yukina, who waved back sincerely, ignorant of (or perhaps ignoring) his obvious infatuation. Hiei scowled at his retreating back, hoping that Yukina would never fall for him. Koenma cleared his throat, trying to break the obvious tension between the idiotic ningen and the short-tempered demon.

"Well, now that they're gone, I need to warn you." They looked at him intently, some with polite interest (Yukina, Kai, and Kurama) and some with mere boredom (Hiei.) "You are all demons. Correct?" No one answered; it was a rhetorical question. "You are also, as of now, protectors of humanity." Hiei gave a derisive snort; he would never protect ningens out of choice. "Like it or not." Koenma added, directing it at Hiei. "From this moment forward, you will be the most mistrusted demons in all of Makai. Watch your backs," he warned. He gave a short bow, brown hair swinging into his hazel eyes, and walked out, leaving them alone.

"Let's go," Hiei ordered, staring at Kai expectantly. She nodded silently, her dark hair swishing about, and replied timidly.

"O-Okay. J-Just follow me, please." She got up and walked to the door, shaking slightly from what Hiei assumed was nervousness. She clutched her unseen charm tightly, as if it alone could console her.

* * *

Twenty minutes and many glares later, the demonic quartet arrived in front of a small house painted periwinkle blue, alone on a deserted street. Kai timidly knocked on the door. A woman in her twenties with silvery hair, wearing a midriff top bearing the legend "2 Hot 4 U" and a short denim skirt answered it angrily.

"Where the hell were you?! I've been waiting for-" she looked down at her blue wrist watch. "Five whole minutes! You could've begun to make dinner!" She glared at the timid girl, hatred obvious in her blue-grey eyes. Hiei cleared his throat and she looked up abruptly, not expecting the three visitors.

Suddenly, her disposition changed. "Well, hello! Come in, come in. Kai's never had friends over before." She smiled a falsely serene smile and beckoned them in, as if what they had just witnessed had never happened. As they passed, she glared over them at Kai, who looked down at the ground, ashamed. The red-eyed girl walked into the doorway slowly, momentarily stopped by the women, who whispered to her menacingly, "Meet me in my room later tonight." Kai nodded grimly, holding most of her fear inside.

The women closed the door behind her as she turned to the four demons in her living room. She smiled kindly at them, expecting an equally kind response. Hiei only glared, and Kai gave a small smile before rushing into the kitchen. Yukina smiled back, believing her kindness to be sincere, and Kurama did as well, but only out of politeness.

"So, what are your names?" she asked, resting her arm on a nearby polished gold coat rack. They each answered, Kurama saying 'Shuichi', as he didn't think she could be trusted with his real name. "Very cool," she replied. "My name is Aphrodite, but you can call me Dite or Aph, whichever you prefer. I'm Kai's aunt. The guest rooms are over that way," she finished, motioning in the direction of an elegant hallway, painted silver and decorated with various artworks framed in bronze. Kurama and Hiei went directly to their temporary rooms, while Yukina made her way to the bathroom, near the kitchen.

Aphrodite, as the women had introduced herself, mirrored the blue-haired girl's path and, upon entering the kitchen, sneered rudely to Kai, who was still wearing her school uniform. "You might want to change." She tipped a cup of hot water on Kai's form-fitted tan coat, and then dropped the cup on the polished tile floor, leaving a dark spot on the silky sheen.

Kai didn't move, despite the burn she felt from the high-temperature water. "You might get hurt." Aph smiled evilly and began to walk toward the shining hallway. "By the way, because you so carelessly dropped that water on my clean floor, you'll have to mop tonight. Don't forget your homework." The women finished with mock concern, laughing cruelly.

Yukina watched this incident from a shadowed doorway, righteous anger written on her face. She heard constricted, quiet sobs from the kitchen, but hurriedly left, as quiet as possible, sensing that Kai wanted to be left alone.

* * *

"Goodnight." Hiei heard a small voice from his doorway and saw Kai's silhouette reflected by his obsessively clean window. Her pupil-less red eyes glowed eerily in the darkness, and her white bangs shone unnaturally in the pallid moonlight; it was all too clear that she was a demon. Hiei glanced at her, and suddenly his forehead burned with white-hot pain.

He witnessed a flash like the one he had had earlier:

_The same young girl from earlier that day sat underneath a street lamp, embracing the fading rain, as if it held the cure to her problems. As the horizon began to brighten, a siren rang throughout the desolate, cold air. The girl got up abruptly, fear shining in her pupil-less eyes. She looked around frantically, surveying the dimly light street. Hiei watched as she ran to her left, down the eerily empty street. The sound of a siren trailed her as she struggled to run and hold down her nightgown at the same time. The memory began to grow unclear as he heard a loud crack, and saw with trained eyes a bullet, smoke trailing it as it hit the girl in her back. Blood splattered all around and the girl let loose a cry of pain as she fell clumsily to the ground. _

Hiei suddenly awoke from his trance and stared at the point where Kai's silhouette stood moments before. He heard a door in the hallway slam shut, and silently cursed as he went to close the door to his "room."

* * *

As the week went by, the three demons noticed an odd pattern to Kai's life. She and Kurama (who had gotten permission from his mother to stay, granted he do his homework) were dropped off at Mieou High School each morning, and were picked up each day by Kai's aunt, Aph. Kai got up much earlier than everyone else each day, and, by the time she had to leave, managed to look as human as possible.

She wore extremely realistic contacts which had a brownish tint to them, minimizing her dark red eyes, reminiscent of blood. Each day, before leaving, she pulled back her long hair neatly in various colored scrunchies, and by the time she returned, her hair was mussed and disheveled. Each day she wore her blue headband across her forehead, successfully convincing Hiei that she was hiding something, although he didn't confide this to anyone. Also, she wore the same earring, day after day: the 'yin' side of the yin-yang, the dark side.

Whenever she was out of her room, Hiei noticed, she wore her tan, stained coat. Often times, especially directly after school, he noticed the smell of blood clinging to her. He kept this to himself, even though he knew it would be better to tell someone.

In this fashion, one week passed. Hiei grew more suspicious of Kai as each day passed, although he wasn't entirely sure why. He felt more than sensed that there was something...._more_ to her than what she showed to the world. She wore her necklace every day, although Hiei never once, in that entire week, saw exactly what her charm was. One day, however, he could have made a good guess.

A/N: Good? Bad? Odd? Please review! Thank you to Moon Archer, my mucho helpful beta-reader, and Linkin Park, who, in a way, influence my story. This chapter in particular was based off of Faint. Sorry about the slight cliff-hanger.


	4. Mysterious Departure and Family Issues

Hi people! I know how much you love my updates, so I've decided to humor your stupidity. Just messing, I know you're not stupid. At least, I think so...::Shifty eyes:: ANYway, I like the way this chapter went. Some of it might not make too much sense yet, but Hiei and Kai understand....MUWHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem...::Regains composure:: On to the reviewer responses!

**KaraKurama:** Thank you! I'll try to update as often as possible, but until then, enjoy what you got! Again, thank you!

**HarmonyHanyou**: Thank you. I wish I had insight.....I could use it on math tests...Maybe we're thinking about different things...

**Demonphonix**: I'm sorry, but I put yet another cliff-hanger. If you don't like cliff-hangers, then I suggest you don't write them. BTW, when are you going to update?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I think Hiei's the only thing really mentioned, but I don't own him either. If I did, well.....You don't want to know...hehehehe

Where's Moon Archer!?

On to the story!

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Four: Mysterious Departure and Family Issues

It was finally Sunday, the last day that the three demons were required to stay with Kai. They hadn't liked their visit in the least. Hiei was bored out of his mind, and occupied himself by training in Kai's large and secluded backyard, while Yukina watched him interestedly, if she wasn't assisting Kai with chores, that is. Kurama did his usual routine and studied, as did Kai. The majority of the day, for Kai at least, was spent inside of her room. What she did in there was anyone's guess, and Hiei was too preoccupied to investigate (Not that he even cared.)

That morning, however, Kai did something different. Hiei, unable to sleep, had gone outside, allowing the wind to whip at his black cloak as he stared at the rising sun. He sighed and was about to return inside, when, suddenly, a quiet voice reached his ears.

"Auntie Aph?" The voice asked in a sweet, quiet tone, coming from the direction of Aph's room. Hiei was struck by sudden curiosity and teleported over to a ledge, where he could see into Aph's room clearly. He watched as the silver-haired woman acknowledged the question with a tired nod of her head, still buried in her obsessively clean sheets. "May I please...err...go?" Aph sighed.

"It's way too early! Sure Kai, you can go. Just remember to be back as soon as it's over. Got it?" The silver-haired woman replied impatiently, forcing herself out of her bed and making it hurriedly. "And, while you're at it, can you make this bed really fast?"

Hiei heard the same quiet voice respond with a quiet "Yes.", although he doubted that she, for it was a female speaker, had a choice. He inched closer to the window, trying to catch a glimpse of her. He was fairly certain that it was Kai, but was greeted by shock upon seeing her.

Her usual earring hung from her pale ear, slightly caught in some loose dark hair, framing her pale face. She was dressed in an elegant blue long-sleeved dress which extended to her ankles. Gloved hands fingered the golden chain of her necklace, although its charm was carefully covered, as usual. Her dark hair was done in an elaborate bun, and she allowed her bangs to hang limply over a blue bandana, worn as her usual head cover, which matched her dress perfectly. She didn't wear her contacts, allowing her red eyes to shine demonically. For some reason, her usually tense face seemed much more relaxed; her markings were less noticeable, even though it was clear she hadn't made any effort to hide her demonic appearance, as she usually did. Instead of her usual dirty Converse, she wore pointed black shoes with a slight heel; the skin they exposed was covered in a thin, tan fabric, darker than her ghostly complexion. Hiei stared at her, open-mouthed, unable to contain the immense surprise he had at seeing Kai out of her room by choice. He watched as she hurriedly straightened up Aph's bedroom, while Aph herself leaned casually against the door frame, watched uninterestedly as Kai worked frantically. Kai finished quickly and, once Aph had acknowledged it as clean, making sure everything was to military standard, she let Kai leave. The dark-haired girl bowed respectfully and exited hurriedly as Aph strayed toward her window. Just as she opened it, Hiei disappeared, reappearing in the Kai's room. He was lucky; she had just left, her blue dress swinging out of sight as she closed her door. Hiei looked around and was very surprised.

Her walls were painted black, adorned by many red-colored shelves. Hiei walked toward her perfectly made bed and glanced at her nightstand, right next to it. There lay a cracked photograph of a dark-haired boy, smiling goofily as he pulled the two-toned hair of the girl beside him, who was also smiling. In the background, a women with black-streaked-white hair frowned, apparently displeased with their happiness. Her glare seemed to focus more on the girl. As much as the photograph intrigued him, Hiei was attracted to another object, on a nearby shelf. He reached up, momentarily struggling, and grabbed a silver-hilted dagger inlaid with emeralds from a black stand and began to unsheathe it slowly. Just as he caught a glimpse of a less-than-polished edge, a horrified gasp came from the door. The fire demon turned and saw Kai appalled figure standing in the doorway; Hiei, in all his nervousness, noticed the extreme contrast of the hallway to her room.

"What...What are you doing?!" Kai said, in a kind of horrified scream. Before Hiei could answer, she was right beside him, much to his surprise. She snatched the dagger from his hands and replaced on the shelf, glaring at him ever-so-slightly. "My room is off limits!" Anger burned in her eyes, showing, for the first time, that she had the ability to be mean. Hiei was not intimidated.

"Why? Are you hiding something? Why can't we know?" He asked in succession. Kai opened her mouth, but she was cut off.

Hiei felt his Jagan burn painfully and saw, before plunging into a 'vision', as he had coined it, that Kai was gripping her forehead painfully. The vision then began:

_The young girl fell to the ground, blood splattering all over her wet nightgown. Just as she struggled to get up, coughing blood, she felt a rather large gun being pressed against her head. She looked down at the ground, fearing the consequences of looking her attacker in the eye. _

"_That's right, demon. You just look down at the ground. It'll be your only friend-especially when it's covered in your blood!" The man above her laughed cruelly and removed his gun from the girl's head. She had the courage to look up, thinking that this was a chance to escape, but was meet by six other guns, each more lethal than the next. She gulped as their apparent leader smirked. His wet black hair hung limp and stringy from the fading rain, illuminating his pale skin. His hazel eyes shone with an undeserved hatred of his current prey. He tried uselessly to dry his gun with his damp dark blue shirt, eventually giving up and allowing his shirttail to drop, sticking to his also-damp jeans. "Hey, guys, back off! Ayame is paying me, not you. I think I should do it." The six gun-toting henchmen backed away, forming a large circle around the two, as the girl's eyes widened._

"_A-Ayame?" She stammered in disbelief, still limp on the wet ground, blood covering her. The man smirked._

"_Yes, Kai. Your mother is paying us to kill you." He looked directly into her eyes, smiling evilly; she felt tears form and roll down her cheek. "Now, be a good girl and stay still while I shoot you." He aimed a gun at her and she made no retaliation. However, someone else did._

"_Karu! What the hell are you doing?!" A women's voice cried as her figure ran in front of Kai. The man, apparently named Karu, stopped immediately._

"_K-Kari! Move!" He shouted; the girl did not move. Her shoulder-length black hair whipped in a sudden chilling breeze as she stared at him accusingly with hazel eyes matching his own._

"_Would you kill your own cousin for money?" Kari asked, disgust dripping from every word. Karu became shamefaced as he lowered his gun to his side._

"_No, Kari. Not for money." He responded, eyes suddenly glowing fiercely. "For revenge." He, in a sudden movement, lifted his gun once more and pulled the trigger; seconds later, Kari collapsed to the ground, covered in blood due to a wound of the heart. Karu spit disdainfully and turned his attention to Kai, who was no longer sitting, but standing and glowing in a golden rage. He barked some instructions to a nearby henchman, but they were unheard over Kai's flaming aura. She was lifted into the air as her anger got the better of her._

"_Karu, you are the worst cousin ever! I don't believe you! Mommy would never want me dead!" She glared at Karu, who was now retreating with his lackeys. "Kari didn't deserve that!" With that, Kai put her hands together and unleashed a large burst stream of golden energy. As the smoke cleared, she touched down on the ground, tiptoeing around piles of ashes; all that was left of the bodies. She found her way to Kari's cold and pale corpse and took something from around her neck, although all Hiei could see was a golden chain, shiny and polished despite Kari's blood covered chest. As the memory began to fade, he saw a single tear fall from the younger Kai's bent head, and the young demon ran away, clutching the necklace as if it alone was her friend._

After the memory faded, Hiei stared at Kai in disbelief, eyes wide. She looked down, gloved fingers twisting a golden chain around her neck. Hiei instantly recognized it.

"That's her chain!" Kai looked up once more and nodded sadly. Just as Hiei opened his mouth to say something farther, he was interrupted by a scream.

**A/N**: Ooooh! Cliff-hanger! (Sorry, Demonphonix!) I'm sorry if it's slightly OOC. I seem to be paranoid of that.....Read and review, por favor!


	5. Reporting for Duty

**Demonphonix:** Evil -Thank you! Your story is good, too! Cruel -Thank you.

**HieiLovesMeHeJustDoesntNo**: Wonderful name! Thank you for reviewing.

**HarmonyHanyou:** Thank you. Enjoy the chapter.

**Reborn-soul-09:** I use cliff-hangers constantly, so get used to it. Thank you for reviewing!

**Heart of Friendship:** Thank you. I try really hard to not have mistakes. I have, like, two beta-readers!

**Disclaimer:** If wishes came true, I'd own Yu Yu Hakusho. But, they don't.

All righty then! On to the story!

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Five: Reporting for Duty

"Oh my gosh!" Kai gasped, running out of her dark room hurriedly, anxious to find the source of the scream. Hiei followed suit, although he was considerably slower, muttering about 'stupid distractions' as he walked out into the hallway, hands in his pockets. He watched as Kai ran straight into the eerily clean kitchen, to see Aph hiding behind a rather small cupboard, huddled into a small ball, being calmed by Kai. Yukina ran up from the direction of the hallway, kimono whipping Kurama, who followed closely behind. The ice maiden looked around, as if unsure what to do. She compromised by attempting to help Kai, although Aph was already calmed down and beginning to start her 'blame Kai' routine once more.

Hiei watched the three women as Aph began to depart, gaze mainly focused on Kai, thinking, _Why does she even bother? It's not like helping the stubborn woman will help her any... _He then heard a rather large sound from the doorway, interrupting his bewildered thoughts; it sounded as if someone were clearing their throat.

Hiei, Kurama, Kai, and Yukina turned toward the door, wondering who had scared Aph, strong-willed Aph, so badly. They were greeted by a brown-haired, hazel-eyed teenager, blue-grey smoke still clinging around his relatively tall figure. He was clad in a blue-colored t-shirt and matching pants, accompanied by a red bandana, tied around his forehead in a Hiei-like style, hiding what the four demons knew to be his 'Junior' tattoo; his attempt at dressing normally. Kai stood up, straightening out her clothing, so as to prevent wrinkles.

She looked right in Koenma's hazel eyes; he repressed a shudder, freaked out by the absence of pupils. "I'll be ready in a second." She smiled meekly and muttered a 'Thank you', although the three boys were quite unsure why.

"Hurry it up!" An elderly woman's horse yell rang through the marble hall, reaching the ears of the four people gathered in the doorway of the large mansion-like temple. Hiei snorted scornfully, not changing his pace, dark cloak ruffling slightly as he walked in an obstinate manner. Kurama smiled slightly at his unwillingness, although the fox demon himself sped up, not wanting their 'trainer' to get angry. Yukina sped up as well, and Kai lingered behind, walking in her usual way: eyes downcast and mood genuinely gloomy, two-toned hair covering her marked face. Hiei gave her a furtive glance, wondering inwardly why she was so sad. He never once, in the limited time that they had known each other, seen her smile, at least not a real smile. Hiei, in his vague gazing at her, noticed a slight tear in her coat, revealing a small part of her arm, on which there was a small, barely discernible red line, which looked strangely fresh. His eyes widened, but his suspicions were pushed out of his mind as he felt a tapping on his back.

Hiei whipped around, earning himself a rather painful blow to the face as Genkai glared at him, an indignant look on her wrinkled face. "So, you like to stare at my granddaughter?" A pink tinge grew on Hiei's face as he stumbled back a few steps, incredulous; had he been that obvious? He began to mumble a reply, but stopped, seeing Kai's face break into an uncharacteristic smile, a real one.

The group (Genkai, Kai, Kurama, and Yukina) broke into laughter, taking his hesitance for indecision. He merely glared, directing it at Kurama, whom, Hiei suspected, was the cause.

The elderly woman said a brief 'hello' to Kai, then ran ahead, toward a medieval-looking staircase. As she lead Kurama and Yukina to their rooms, as well as giving them a tour, Hiei tried to resume his apathetic disposition. However, he wasn't successful, as Kai stopped him right then, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The short demon gave the girl a bewildered look and she took a deep breath, as if steadying herself. She then spoke, looking directly into his eyes, "You were looking at my cut, weren't you?" Hiei, suddenly nervous, nodded. She sighed, smiling slightly. "Well, from now on, I'd appreciate it if you don't worry about it. It was an accident when I was making dinner the other night. Nothing big." He nodded, although he wasn't convinced.

She smiled once more and grabbed his hand, forcing him up the stairs, thinking, _Stupid! Why did I leave my jacket on!?_

**A/N:** Not that big of a cliff-hanger this time. Feel lucky. Please reveiw!


	6. Flashbacks and Shocking Enemies

Stupid !#$$#! No one, you heard me, NO ONE reviewed chapter five! Did it suck that much!? Oh, well. The writing is the point, not the reviews. ANYway, enough of my ranting. I'm sure you're all so eager to read my story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YYH.

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Six: Flashbacks and Shocking Enemies

"Ow!" Hiei complained, being healed in Genkai's rather large infirmary for the fifth time that month. Yukina, currently wrapping his wounds, sighed, smiling oddly.

"You really don't think twice before you challenge her, do you?" She commented, laughing slightly as she finished up. Hiei had been repeatedly sparring with Kai over the past month, training obsessively after each loss. The recent weeks had been almost nothing but training for him (he lost every time). Yukina, on the other hand, seemed to have a lot of free time, most of which she spent with Kurama, much to Hiei's displeasure.

As it turned out, the timid ice demon needed hardly any work; she knew the moves, but was dangerously out of practice. She, with the help of Kurama, had developed a sharp-edged sword, composed entirely of ice. Whenever Hiei thought about how far she had progressed, his heart burned with fierce pride, reserved only for her, although she was still blissfully unaware of their kinship, growing to view Hiei as a friend. In fact, everyone seemed to have grown a little closer, although Hiei would never admit it. The only exception seemed to be Kai. The shy girl, rather than socialize, preferred to keep to herself, although she was notably more relaxed and seemed infinitely less gloomy. Maybe it was because here, in her grandmother's temple, she received a nice smile every once in a while, rather than a lecture.

Hiei, too, kept to himself, and was extremely relived at Kai's solitude; after that first day, he had become highly suspicious of Kai, even more so than before, if possible. Also, he noted, there was an odd...feeling, one which he was afraid to describe, in his throat whenever he spoke in her presence; it was as if he were nervous, ridiculous as it seems. He attributed it to a minor cold, although he knew full well that demons couldn't get sick.

The anti-social fire demon also began to notice small actions which Kai performed, much to his surprise. He gathered, more from intuition than observation, that she would do anything to help others, and he still could not shake a vaguely familiar feeling. This feeling intensified whenever he sparred with her. Kai's usual weaponry, a golden bow and arrow, far overpowered Hiei's katana, and she had a dangerous ruthlessness to the way she fought, completely opposite to her usual manner.

She, in effect, was able to disarm her enemy, corner them, and could basically kill the unlucky person, should she so desire it. As luck would have it, she always aimed for non-lethal, easily blocked areas. Hiei, after carefully recounting their many fights, wondered angrily if Kai was toying with him. He thought, rightfully so, that she was hiding her true power, power which he craved to fight. One day, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Kai?" He had asked, glaring at her in a frustrated manner, kneeling as he gingerly touched a bad wound on his leg. She acknowledged his question, gazing at his injury with something which closely resembled interest, although Hiei pushed his dark qualms out of his mind. "Do you _enjoy_ humiliating me?" She laughed quietly and Hiei felt something odd stir in the region of his chest.

"Of course not." She replied seriously, shrugging to emphasize her modesty. "I'm just doing what comes naturally." She smiled, walking toward Hiei's crouched figure, cleaning up any and all mess along the way. "Here, let me help you with that." She reached out to help Hiei up, 'accidentally' grazing the rather large wound on his calf. The fire demon let slip a small gasp of pain and Kai pulled back, her stare still lingering on his blood, as if fascinated. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you that bad." She glanced at the blood on her pale hand and said, in a tone which suggested awe, "You bleed really well." She then clapped her hand over her mouth and hurriedly walked away, Hiei staring bewilderedly behind her. As she reached the large back door, a sudden wind struck her, blowing her dirty coat off of her legs for a mere second. However, that second was long enough for Hiei to see, with a look of horror, numerous scars covering the skin shown by her black skirt, the staining red contrasting against a deathly pale complexion.

"Wait!" He yelled after her, frustrated emotion in his voice. She, however, was long gone, black hair sweeping after her. _She wouldn't have answered anyway..._ Hiei thought bitterly, forcing himself up, flinching slightly as he put pressure on his injured leg. He grabbed his katana from a nearby bush, having been blasted away from him by Kai's unanticipated attack from behind. Just as he began to mirror Kai's path into the temple, he was stopped by a sudden searing pain in his Jagan, and far off he heard a quiet groan of anguish, which he attributed to Kai. His sight blurred, and he plunged, headfirst, into a 'vision'.

_Kai ran, turning down a street and running in the opposite direction every once in a while, as if trying to escape some unseen enemy. She eventually came to a halt in front of a rather plain-looking house, plain except for the fact that it was covered in Christmas lights and various pro-religion banners. The young girl sat down on the porch and, wiping the soaked black and white hair out of her face, stared at the rising dawn. She looked sadly at the pinkish-purplish sky, and Hiei knew from experience that she was wondering why she couldn't feel as warm as the sky looked; she wanted to know why she was shunned, unloved; why even her mother hated her. She fell asleep to the dawning sky, leaning against a rather slippery post. There were tears streaming down her face._

"_What?!" The girl was awoken by a shocked statement as the door opened hours later (To Hiei, viewing this as a sort of spirit, it was but seconds.) A man with shoulder-length, raven-colored hair and sparkling blue eyes reached for his morning paper; he found his seven-year-old demonic niece on his porch in a rather thin nightgown with red stains. "Kai?! What are you doing here?!" Kai's eyes widened and she immediately embraced the man in a hug, trying desperately to feel love which was too often non-existent. _

Suddenly, Hiei felt himself jerked out of his trance-like state by a hand on his shoulder, shaking him madly. His eyes opened swiftly, the third showing through his bandana, scaring his intruder. "Wow, geez, Hiei. When you meditate, you really meditate..." Yukina, standing a few feet in front of him, laughed. The fire demon's unknowing sister helped him up, and after healing his wound, led him to the front of the ancient temple. There, in the silhouette of the setting sun, stood Kai, Kurama, and Koenma, apparently discussing the current, and first, mission. Kai was to the back, squirming uncomfortably and pulling down her coat, although it already reached the tops of her rather dirty converse. She seemed to be more unstable and quieter than usual, but tried to cover it up with a warm welcome to the approaching pair.

"H-Hi. K-Koenma just arrived, and I think he wants to talk to you." The corners of her rather pale lips pulled into a small smile; Yukina returned with a smile that was considerably warmer by comparison, but Hiei did not even attempt at friendliness. He was still wondering about the events earlier that day, barely ten minutes ago.

"I'll bet he does," he responded sarcastically as he gave Kai the smallest of dirty looks; no one, not even a fellow demon, kept secrets from him. Yukina was bewildered at his rudeness, as was Kurama. Koenma looked nervous, but replaced his cautious face with one of business and continued explaining something to a distracted Kurama. Kai resumed her usual custom of leaning against the wall, staring at an unfixed point on the ground. Hiei, following Yukina, stood close to Koenma, but found that he could not concentrate on the instructions of the Spirit Prince. Instead, his crimson eyes found their way to Kai. Her eyes were clouded, resembling a red beacon shining through a foggy night. _What is she thinking?_ Hiei thought to himself. He toyed with the notion of reading her mind, but decided against it, remembering their first encounter. Suddenly, his Jagan stung a little, and, as if seeing a fragment of a dream, his mind clouded.

"_I hate you, Uncle Eito!" A girl's voice, sounding about ten, yelled angrily through a pink door. The girl's ebony locks, tied in neat braids, rested on her shoulders as she beat her head against the said door, tears streaming down her face, sliding across two dark blue stripes, one on each of her cheeks. "You never loved me! Never! You're just like the rest of them!" As an answer, a man's voice drifted through to her now-pierced ear (A yin of the yin-yang, but nothing on her other ear.)_

"_Kai, calm down!" He slammed on her door, but she paid him no notice, instead putting on a pair of headphones and listening to music which closely resembled the banging of trash can lids ("Grunge rock, dude." Kai once described it to her Uncle, when he had called it "Noise.") "All I did was comment on your hair coloring! (Even though it does look like an old movie.) Geez, why're you acting like some sort of teenager?!" At this, Kai burned with anger, a fiery gold aura enveloping her._

"_I've lived with you for six frickin' years and you don't even know my age?! Even Ayame knew my age! I'm thirteen, mister smart!" As she spoke her temper flared, and her tears dispersed, instead becoming a fierce glare. _I-I thought at least **he** cared! But he **doesn't**!_ She blasted open the door, sending the raven –haired, baggy-clothed man flying across the hall. "Stand up!" She walked over to him with an air of deadly calm and stood over his cramped figure, pupil-less eyes glowing evilly in a menacing glare. Eito gulped and began to say something, but he never finished. "Just leave me ALONE!" Kai yelled, and a blinding golden flash filled Hiei's vision. However, from Eito's anguished scream and Kai's yell of "I'll never find a home!" Hiei could guess what had happened. Eito was...gone. And it was Kai's fault. _

* * *

Hiei stared, open-mouthed, at the sullen figure in front of him and pondered his vision as the demonic defenders marched through their original home. _What was that all about? Why won't she tell me?_ As the vertically-challenged fire demon thought, a small voice answered him, one which he vaguely recognized. _It's because she's scared. She doesn't want you to know. Nor should you!_

Hiei jumped a little; where did that come from? _Who are you?_

The voice responded, still rather angry. _Someone close, whom you've seen before, but don't remember. Someone who is both best friend and enemy. Someone destined to change you, without your knowledge or consent. _

Hiei began to grow angry at this voice, but he did not respond, as a horde of demons began to attack them from all sides. They were nearing an area known widely as "The Dark Forest," renowned for its prostitutes. The most intimidating part of this dark area was that the highest order of demons inhibited it: The Dark Demons. Rumor had it, they were servants of Satan himself. Kurama, Yukina, Kai, and Hiei fought through hordes of lower-class demons, almost effortlessly. Suddenly, however, they stopped.

The ugly beasts retreated, parting in the center for their self-proclaimed "leader." Yukina gasped, as Hiei glared daggers at the person -- yes, person -- the demons revealed.

It was Tarukane.

**A/N:** Oh. My. Gosh. Ohmigosh! What the #$# just happened?! Well, I guess you'll find out.


	7. Of Revenge and Necromancy

Hi people! I'll be fifteen tomorrow! I decided to update, because I'm so cool that I can give other people gifts on my birthday! (My writing, of course, is a grand gift!)

**Shadowedsketcher:** Tarukane is Yukina's former captor, whom Toguro killed via kicking his fat, ugly head off. It was kinda gross, but I can't deny that the stupid fat-ass deserved it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YYH, even though I did get a lot of DVD's for my birthday.

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Seven: Of Revenge and Necromancy

"Th-This... Can't... You're dead!" Yukina stammered in the human's direction, pale hands at her sides, fear shining in her crimson eyes. Hiei stepped forward, wind whipping about him, ruffling his usual black cloak, forming an angry black aura.

"How are you still alive?" He asked, approaching the repulsive man with deadly calm. Kurama watched in shock as Tarukane smiled insanely.

"I wonder if you still cry gems, Yukina..." He laughed equally as insanely, double (or was it triple?) chins wobbling. Hiei inched closer as the man -- thing, really -- continued, "I'm here to reclaim property." Its voice, exactly like the original, was like a thousand piercing needles in Yukina's skin. She cringed and huddled to the ground, remembering the five long years he had held her prisoner. She thought, tears forming, of his young guard, the young twenty-something boy who had attempted to rescue her.

Kai inched into the dense foliage, hiding herself from sight, and was unnoticed. Yukina was frantic, currently kneeling on the moist ground, getting stains on her navy kimono, wringing her hands insecurely. Kurama looked at her with concern, while Hiei's crimson eyes, identical to hers, shone with hatred at the greedy man whom was thought to be dead.

"Well? You didn't answer the question. Do I need to repeat it so your puny human mind will understand?" He said, hand over his katana. Once again, the Tarukane-thing smiled, although it was considerably more evil-looking.

"The magic of necromancy has allowed me to not only live, but command a horde of demons! I've been given a chance to get revenge! Since those other two aren't here..." He looked to the girl who was huddled on the ground, currently clutching her blue locks, as they would protect her from his ugly stare.

He motioned to the many lower-class demons behind him, saying, "Kill her! She won't live through this day! No one crosses Gonzo Tarukane and gets away--" Suddenly, he stopped. A steel sword was against his throat, light enough to not kill, but hard enough to break the skin. A whip was wrapped around his waist, thorns deep enough to hurt but not mortally injure.

The two boys were glaring at him hatefully, Kurama at his left and Hiei at his right. Seeing their righteous fury, the many demons which had followed Tarukane began to run. They got as far as the border of the forest. There they met their death, in the form of a scrawny girl with pupil-less blood eyes and black and white hair.

Kai reappeared in front of the retreating posse, smiling sardonically as a foreboding wind whipped her dirty coat and underlying black kimono. "You cannot run from righteous retribution. You allied yourselves with scum. Therefore, you will be treated as such. Scum is always cleaned. I think... I'll clean you up." She warned quietly, but loud enough for the deserters to hear, in a dark tone. The next second, all they saw was a golden flash; her aura. They felt excruciating pain, and then it was all over, their ugly corpses hitting the dirt with a disgusting squish. However, Kai's comrades didn't see this.

While the shy sophomore had been pummeling the minor demons, the others had been taking their own revenge.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing? Please, just have pity." Tarukane had gasped as a final (and rather pathetic) plea. Yukina thought of pitying him, telling Hiei and Kurama to let him go, but then another thought struck her blue head. An image of her would-be savior's corpse, marked by dozens of gunshots, bloodied almost beyond recognition, overturned her kind disposition. She then stood up, with a startlingly determined look of hatred upon her face.

"Hiei, Kurama, get back." She said, anger in her every word. She glared crimson daggers at the revived Tarukane and continued, "I want to handle this jerk." They did as they were told and Yukina loosened the turquoise sash around her waist, preparing herself for a fight. As she walked to the forefront, Kurama, walking back, grabbed her wrist. She gave him a questioning look.

"Remember what I taught you. You have so much talent; use every trick you know. Kill the bastard." He smiled encouragingly and the ice demon returned it with a confident nod.

"No problem." She then got into a stance almost mirroring Hiei's when he fought ("Nice stance," Hiei commented to Kurama when the fox demon joined him), and prepared to prove herself.

* * *

"Wow." Was all Hiei managed to say, gaping at what was left of Tarukane after Yukina had had her fun. "Wow." Yukina laughed, getting up from her striking position as she cut away the last of Tarukane's life.

"Yeah, I suppose that describes it." She smiled dashingly and tightened her kimono, choosing to ignore the blood stains on it. "You know, I never really thought I could do it. Kill someone, I mean. I was always so shy and quiet and stuff. I never thought that I could..." Her thinking aloud was interrupted by a quiet voice, emerging from its forested hideaway.

"You were awesome." Kai rejoined the other three, stepping from the forest, which now looked considerably friendlier. She, too, had blood stains on her shirt, although neither Hiei nor Kurama had seen her fight. "But I think that Tarukane was sent for a reason." Yukina nodded, although this thought was new to her; she had been caught up in her revenge, her chance to prove herself. She had only thought of her techniques: a fake to the left, a half-twist and a kick to the groin; a perfect split and a trip; a final gash to the gluttonous belly. Kurama spoke, surprised that he had not thought of this, being that he was too concerned about Yukina's ability to defend herself (At least, that's what he told himself, despite his rapidly beating heart.)

"It makes sense, but who can perform necromancy in this forest?" Kai opened her rather small mouth to respond, but seemed to have second thoughts and instead backed against a tree, shaking her two-toned head, fine, black hairs flying across blue stripes.

"_Raising the dead and healing the broken hearts..._" Hiei, suddenly leaning against a tree adjacent to Kai's, mumbled to himself. His eyes were alight with a sudden answer. "Kurama, use your head." Kurama thought for a moment, turned to Yukina, (Who was, also, leaning against a tree, healing her minor wounds), and spotted something behind her. It was a rather small sign, one which an ordinary person would not have recognized: a few small strands of chocolate-colored hair, burning with a small trace of aqua-colored aura. The fox demon's emerald eyes widened in comprehension and he turned back toward his dark-haired, vertically-challenged comrade.

"_Pleasure for the masses..._! Sluts 'R us!" He mumbled. Hiei nodded glumly, as Yukina looked on in total confusion.

"What the--" She began to question, but was cut off by Kai, who got up abruptly, looking rather insecure.

"Let's go, please. Koenma is waiting, I think." She said rather sternly, although she always used obliging politeness, much to Hiei's annoyance.

**A/N:** The plot is starting to reveal itself... Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Joyous Kwanza! Aww, heck, happy holidays! Can I have a review for a gift? I haven't been getting a lot of those...


	8. Pride and Recklessness

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Eight: Pride and Recklessness

"He's dead..." Yukina's voice was soft as she reminisced, sitting comfortably in a sidesaddle-like fashion in the windowsill of her powder blue room. She stared out in the distance, crimson eyes particularly focused on some snow-capped mountains in the distance. "_I_ killed him..."

"Your brother would have been proud, Yuki." Kurama commented softly, almost inaudibly, from his position on the girl's bed. He looked up from the sky blue carpet and into his teammate's eyes. Emerald met crimson in a meaningful stare as the red-head continued, "I'm proud of you as well. Almost too proud to say..." He rose, ruffling his red-trimmed-gold shirt, and walked toward the girl, a fire in his eyes that Yukina could not explain; she was not sure she _wanted_ to explain it, truth be told.

"Umm...What are you _doing_?" A breeze wafted into the room, brushing against the ice demon's white kimono. Her blue obi moved as she rose from her seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Kurama could see the dozen or so knives concealed underneath the garment.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the tense air. The two demons nearly broke their necks in their haste to look away from each other, which they managed to do with difficulty. Hiei stood in the doorway, crimson eyes glowing dangerously.

"Dinner." He growled darkly, glaring in particular at Kurama, much to Yukina's relief; she was not by any means prepared to meet _that_ glare! The pair nodded mutely and sighed inwardly as the cloaked demon turned to leave.

They had relaxed for not even a minute when Hiei again spoke, this time from the hall, in a cold tone, "And fetch Kai, if you will. I don't feel like intruding upon her silence. Sometimes, I find silence, isolation if I had a choice, to be quite comforting. Relationships are especially troublesome. Don't you agree...**_Kurama_**?" Said demon nodded heatedly, and then proceeded to follow his friend out the door, leaving Yukina to her lonesome.

_Great. Just perfect,_ Yukina thought, going to get Kai out of her room, which had served as the reclusive girl's primary place of residence for the two days following Tarukane's defeat. _I'm the one who has to get the freakin' **recluse**, while Kurama goes and eats! Unfair! _At the very thought of his name, Yukina's mind's eye drifted back to the look which burned in his emerald irises like a large, consuming bonfire. _What was that all about? Does he love me or something? _Yukina nearly laughed out loud at the mention of 'love.' _Please! My own mom didn't even love me, much less anyone else! Excepting that human buffoon, of course..._

"Yukina, are you okay? You look worried." Kai inquired from the demon's doorway, leaning against the frame, slightly rumpling her clothing.

Yukina bit back a shocked gasp; Kai's usual attire (a dirty coat, long skirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, all black) had been replaced. The black-and-white haired teenager now wore a stylish denim vest with rivets as its lining over a long-sleeved collared-and-cuffed white shirt. The shirt's edges loosely covered the button of a pair of black jeans that were fraying in many places, especially near the ankles, for whatever reason. In lieu of the dirty converse she usual sported, Kai was shod in lace-up black combat boots.

"You look...different." Realized she might sound rude, Yukina added, "Umm... A good different?" Kai smiled shyly, shaking her head. Her long hair framed her pale face, highlighting her eerie pupil-less blood red eyes.

"I appreciate it, but please don't lie. I just tired of the same outfit. Besides, it was kind of beginning to smell." A blush rose on her pale face, contrasting against her blue stripes.

Yukina smiled. "S'okay. Anyway, it's dinner, so we might as well go and eat. What could've possibly possessed _Genkai_ to actually _make_ her own food?"

"My grandmother is a very perplexing person."

"I guess so." As she exited with Kai, Yukina spotted a slight spot on the girl's blouse, around her forearm. "Hey, you, um, get hurt or something? There's blood on your shirt." Kai seemed to panic for a moment, but then calmed, smiling.

"I'm such a klutz. I smacked into my dresser! Can you believe that? My _dresser_." Yukina laughed a little, still ill at ease, but shrugged away her doubts as the two entered the kitchen.

* * *

After dinner, Kai as usual retreated back to her room, leaving the other three demons with cleaning detail. They grumbled amongst themselves, until finally it was decided who would do what: Kurama on stacking, Yukina washing, and Hiei drying. All in all, these were not difficult, when powers were employed, but it was the principle of the matter that irked the tentai.

"I wonder whatever happened to Yusuke..." Yukina wondered aloud as she covered the dishes with a thin layer of ice.

"I don't know." Hiei held a tiny flame in-between his forefinger and thumb, using it to melt the ice, thus creating water. However, it was clear that his mind was somewhere else.

"I suspect he's been enjoying his time off. After all, it _is_ summer." Kurama leaned against the now-clean counters, thanks to his skill in doing chores after years of helping his mother.

"Hn."

"Hiei! You broke the dish!"

* * *

"This sucks!" Yusuke screamed, kicking a can in the street as hard as he could; it flew through the air and smashed directly into Shizuru's rear window, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

"You're paying for that, you know!" Kuwabara's sister yelled out her apartment window, indicating her smashed window. Yusuke grumbled incoherently.

"Y'know, Urameshi, you could calm down, at least a little. It's not the end of the world...I think..." Kuwabara tried in vain to calm his friend as the two sat on the sidewalk's edge, just outside the tall boy's apartment complex.

"Shut up, Kuwabara." Just as Kuwabara began to get mad, the two boys heard something that ensnared their attentions.

A quiet, seductive song rang through the night, sounding strangely alluring.

'_Come to us/And you will see_

_That you and I were meant to be_

_Time now has passed_

_I may move fast_

_But I don't make a sound_.'

Kuwabara began to stagger vaguely toward the sound, as did Yusuke, but both were stopped by Shizuru's firm grip on their collars.

"I always knew you were and idiot, baby brother, but Yusuke too? I had expected more out of you." The two shot her confused glances, and she sighed. "_Come in now_."

Once safely inside, windows and doors closed and locked, Shizuru entered the small kitchen as the two former tentai sat down.

"What's up, sis? What was that weird music?" Holding a cup of coffee, Shizuru joined the boys.

"It's not right. Look out the window." The boys obeyed, and saw an odd and disturbing sight: boys as young as seven, if not younger, to men who looked to be on their deathbed walked single file in the street, looking rather like zombies. Yusuke scratched his slicked-back hair.

"What's it mean? It's obviously not good..." He rubbed his chin in contemplation, and then snapped his fingers in epiphany. "Remember when Suzaku's bugs infected the teachers!" Both the elder and younger Kuwabara nodded. "It's like that, right Shizuru? They're under someone's control."

"Right on. It's the music. I called a few neighbors, and they can't hear it, so it must be demonic. It might be reckless, but..." She put her hand on both her brother's and Yusuke's shoulder. Her dark eyes met Yusuke's as she added, "I think it's time to be a vigilante, don't you?" Yusuke smirked.

"Hell yes!"

**A/N:** Sorry for the long absence. Really, I am. I don't like a lot of the chapters I've written for this story, but this is one of the few I _do_ like. Please enjoy it, and, as always, please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH


	9. Botan's Surprise

**Yin-Yang**

Chapter Nine: Botan's Surprise

Two boys rode their "borrowed" bicycles in the streets of the city, weaving in and out of the hypnotized male population. One of them, a tall, orange-haired, boy with prominent cheekbones and beady black-brown eyes, moved his head in tune with some music blaring from his headphones. The other was wearing earmuffs, their ear pieces partially covered by loose strands of his greased brown black hair. They were clad in simple jeans and t-shirts; summer had started about a month ago. As they rode, a strange and highly dangerous, though alluring melody floated in the air around them. They were, of course, oblivious.

Yusuke Urameshi, former spirit detective, pulled up next to his fellow vigilante, Kazuma Kuwabara, and tapped the boy's shoulder. He found that the boy was preoccupied with doing a sort of head-banging motion, lip-syncing and drumming his hands on the handlebars as though playing drums. Metallic... Yusuke thought, sighing. He tapped his friend once more, although his 'tap' was more of a 'punch' than anything. Wincing, Kuwabara looked to the hazel-eyed teen, who signaled him to stop in a nearby ally. The two did not worry about gangs, despite the fact that they were on the bad side of town; all those who would be a danger were walking in the middle of the street toward the source of the mysterious tune.

"What, Urameshi? Chickenin' out?" Yusuke rolled his eyes; he liked competition as much as the next guy, but really!

"No, you baka! I was just thinkin'-"

"Musta been hard." Kuwabara shortly had a purple bruise on his shoulder. As he rubbed it gingerly, Yusuke continued.

"What're we gonna tell ol' toddler butt? I mean, we're fired, so... "He left the question hanging in the already-crowded air. Kuwabara stroked his chin in a pose mimicking that of the world's greatest thinkers, and then shrugged. Yusuke sweatdropped.

"I dunno, Urameshi. We can just worry about that later, though. We've got to deal with this" -- He waved his hand at their surroundings -- "for the moment." Yusuke nodded, his mind reeling with possible punishments that Koenma could serve him. A ferrygirl, perhaps? He had a brief image of himself, clad in Botan's usual attire, sitting on an oar, and ending every sentence with a 'dear.'

Shuddering, the soon-to-be vigilante rode off once more, setting his mind onto his mission. He immediately found a distraction. Using a sign language devised by Shizuru, he signed to Kuwabara, who was riding a few feet away, 'Ten points if you rough up Mr. Akashi!'

Back at the temple, the tentai were unaware of the danger about to strike them. They were in Genkai's voluminous courtyard, engaged in rather un-heroic activities. Only four out of the five living in the house were present; Genkai had run off to another prefecture to do some errands. Something involving torturous training, Yukina was sure. The ice demon was presently sitting beside Kai, having managed to convince the timid girl to come out of her room for once, watching Hiei and Kurama spar furiously with a contented look. Kai had buried herself in a notebook, into which she was scribbling furiously. Yukina did not bother to ask what the girl was writing; it wasn't her business, and besides, it had been hard enough to get the girl out of her room.

Suddenly, a panicked cry for help broke the peaceful atmosphere. Hiei and Kurama stopped their fight immediately as a disheveled Botan fell from above, a dark blur against the calm skies. Yukina and Kai rose from the table and rushed over to the crumpled heap that was the ferrygirl. Upon seeing her, the four almost did not recognize the assistant; she had traded her usual garb for an extremely sleazy black halter top that could really have been called a bra and a pair of dangerously short shorts. Instead of her sandals, Botan was shod in a pair of black leather high-heeled boots. Her hair, too, had changed: it now bore black streaks in periodic intervals. Around her neck, she wore a collar rather like that of a cat, complete with an onyx charm shaped like a small heart, bordered with red and orange.

As the girls helped up the drastically different ferrygirl, Botan began to shake off her weariness. Her pink eyes scanning the courtyard, she spotted her trusty oar lying a few feet away, in pieces.

"Damn it!" She cursed loudly, startling the tentai, save for Hiei (who actually _was _startled, but only to the trained eye.) Yukina, holding one of Botan's arms, gave her a questioning look. Kai also gave a look, although hers was of concern.

"What happened to you?" Kurama strode closer to Botan, Hiei in tow. There was a concern buried in his tone that only Yukina could detect; she felt a slight sting somewhere in the region of her chest, but ignored it.

"Oh, it's horrible! We... I... Koenma..." The girl stammered incoherently, burying her face in her hands. If she was bad before, she was hysterical now. Hiei stared at the crying girl with cold indifference, but could not hide his shock when Kai, least emotional of the four, put her pale hand on the ferrygirl's back.

"It's okay, Botan. Just calm down and please try to tell us what's happened." A warm compassion, the compassion of true friend (despite the fact that Kai, it seemed, had no real friends) burned in her pupil-less blood eyes, shining in her face, thus highlighting the stripes on her cheeks and across her nose. The girl's voice itself had a calming effect, and although not necessary, her face greatly helped calm the broken-down ferrygirl.

"Okay... Well, we're all in big trouble."

"Aren't we always?" Yukina muttered under her breath. Hiei gave her an indulgent smile, which she returned, mistaking his pride for that of a teammate.

"Reikai... Koenma, I mean, has been overthrown." Three sets of eyes widened. Kai was the only one to remain calm. She led Botan to the table, where the ferrygirl continued, "King Enma was on a trip to Makai, apparently to converse with Mukuro, but he never made it to her..." The ferrygirl paused, slumping on the glass table. Kai discreetly moved her book out of the girl's path, and then smiled encouragingly. Yukina, Kurama, and Hiei traded stealthy glances, considering this odd -- yet useful -- ability of Kai's. In trading his glance, however, Hiei noticed a slight glaze to Botan's eyes, almost as though Kai had, unlikely as it seemed, put the girl into a trance. _Then again... _He thought suspiciously, _she is rather unlikely..._

"In short, all of Makai and Reikai have been dominated. They're currently working on Ningenkai, I believe."

"'They'?" Hiei questioned, eyes flashing. "Who are they?"

"Um... "Botan sighed resignedly, and then looked directly into the demon's eyes."The Sluts 'R Us."

A moment's silence followed those words. Kai's eyes widened and she fell to her knees, looking guilty. Yukina looked utterly clueless. Hiei sat down quickly, trying to calm himself as anger built up within him. Kurama stood where he was, petrified to his spot on the concrete.

"Um... Aren't those people, like, linked to Tarukane?" The ice demon queried quietly, breaking the awful silence. Botan, however, was not the one to respond.

At first, it seemed as though Botan was talking, but after a second, it was clearly not the ferrygirl.

"My, my, aren't _we_ the smart little demon!" The voice was smooth as silk and sweet as honey, rich as milk chocolate and delicate as a flower. Even with that simple exclamation, the speaker seemed to promise a night of x-rated fun.

"Melodia!" Hiei snarled unexpectedly, baring his canines, crimson irises shining angrily. Following a shimmer on the glass table, he traced it to the charm around Botan's neck; it was shining brightly and all at once the fire apparition realized that it was a communicator.

"Why, yes, my dear Hiei, it is I. The forefront of the Slut's 'R Us, Melodia. The beauti-" Hiei abruptly cut her off with a sharp snarl.

"The forefront, you say? What about that treacherous wench Kia! Where's she, huh?" After a moment of silence, he said, "ANSWER ME, WENCH!" Melodia's laugh was seductive even through the comlink.

"Well, Hiei, one would think that, with a Jagan eye, one would be a teensy bit more observant... "She laughed again. Kai was suddenly on her knees, eyes fearful.

"SHUT UP, MELODIA!" She screeched angrily, a dagger of gold energy suddenly held in one pale hand. She went over to the shocked form of Botan and put the dagger to the girl's throat. The ferrygirl gulped as the rest of the tentai gasped in horror. "If you don't, you'll have one less messenger on your side." Yukina opened her mouth to try to dissuade Kai, but Hiei stopped his sister. He knew that this Kai was not a normal Kai. This was a Kai who was over the edge. What had made her so, he didn't know. All he knew was that she couldn't by any means be reasoned with.

Or at least, Hiei _attempted_ to stop his sister.

"You would really do that, Kai? You would kill an innocent person, just to hide something? Just to deter someone else? I didn't think you were that low..." Yukina had a strange range of emotions in her eyes, but they all added up to one overpowering feeling: betrayal. Kurama and Hiei traded fearful glances. Kai's dagger disappeared and Botan was able to breathe again.

"No, Yukina, _please_... "Kai began in vain, staggering toward the girl. The ice demon shook her head repeatedly, as though trying to shake off her feelings.

"No... _No_... I... I can't trust you, I _can't_... You're just as bad as them... **YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS THEM**!" And with that, the girl ran away as fast as she could, headed into the forest which bordered the courtyard. The others began to follow, but stopped as they heard Botan's scream from behind them.

A silver flash filled the area, a terrified scream was heard, and Botan's soulless body fell to the ground with a dull 'clud'.

The remaining tentai had relocated to the temple infirmary, staring at each other in silence. Botan lay on a bed in a corner, pink eyes wide and vacant, face pale. Kai was sitting on an unused bed, rather indifferent to the fact that her jeans had green stains on the black fabric of the worn knees. Hiei was lying on the bed opposite her, watching the black-and-white haired girl out of the corner of his eye. Her head was hung in shame. _No doubt she's thinking about her little mishap back there..._ The little demon thought grimly, thinking of his conversation with Melodia. Before he could think anymore, however, he was interrupted.

"What do we do?" Kurama asked faintly from his position at a windowsill near the prone form of Botan. His emerald eyes were glazed, and Hiei knew that the fox demon was thinking of Yukina (much to his dismay).

"First, you tell me what's going on. Why is Botan laying on a bed, looking for all the world like she's dead, and why the _hell _is she dressed like a **_slut_**!" The three demons turned to see Genkai's tiny frame silhouetted in the doorway. At the word 'slut', Kai repressed a shudder.

**A/N: **This chapter's rather long, isn't it? Oh, well, consider it a gift from me to you. And please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH.


	10. Kai's Anguish

**Yin Yang**

Chapter Ten: Kai's Anguish

Yusuke and Kuwabara parked the bikes in an alleyway to the right, a rather battered Akashi-sensei in their wake. They crept back discreetly into the line of zombie-like males, once more exposed to the danger of the music in the air. Earplugs firmly in place, they began to march hypnotically. Yusuke shivered as the sky darkened and lightning flashed menacingly.

Eventually, the line stopped their march. They were in front of a battered parking structure, rather like the one that the Younger Toguro had destroyed so long ago. The large group strode as one into the ground floor; the two boys barely had room to breathe. By fives, the hypnotized population entered a nearby elevator. Yusuke and Kuwabara traded confused and apprehensive glances, shrugged, and followed the group's example.

The elevator rose to the first floor. Three more floors passed, until the group that the vigilantes were in had reached fifth floor. When the doors opened with a _clink _the teenagers bit back shocked gasps.

The area that they entered, although packed almost to capacity, was entirely unlike what a usual parking lot would be. Indeed, it was no longer a parking area; it was more like a palace. Pink shag carpeting had replaced concrete; sporadically placed fancy furniture suggestive of wealth replaced parking spaces. The stairway to the roof level had been left in its place, but had been tampered with; carpeting and pinkish-white ribbon were most becoming on the formerly concrete steps. Rather than signs directing vehicles, there were crystalline chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, which was no longer a stormy gray but a cotton candy-like marble concoction.

The boys looked about the room, in awe, but were soon stopped. Soft footsteps echoed through the room. All eyes turned toward the approaching girl, a girl who could not have been taller than five feet, two inches. The exact height of a certain fire demon's half sister.

She entered through a glare in the chandelier, giving the impression that she glowed divinely. Long turquoise locks were pulled behind a black headband, and some of her hair was separated from the rest, throwing her youthful face into relief. Crimson irises sparkled with hurt. Her small neck bore an iron collar and in her shackled hands she held a long chain, to avoid damaging the carpet. However, it was not the chain which drew Kuwabara's attention.

It was the girl's clothing. She wore a cobalt tank top with a dangerously low neckline. More than just a sliver of pale stomach could be seen. She was also clad in a short black skirt which looked at though it had been made by ripping a thin piece of cloth. Her flat-soled black boots shuffled on the covered ground.

"Yukina-chan..." Kuwabara's whisper was faint, and Yusuke could sense rather than hear the horrified shock in his friend's voice. Yukina looked up, and her eyes scanned the crowd efficiently. She lingered for a few seconds on Yusuke, and for more than a few seconds on Kuwabara, and then continued her cold, indifferent scan of the trapped crowd.

"Come with me," She ordered flatly and proceeded back up the stairs without waiting for her crowd. They followed and Yusuke had to stop Kuwabara from yelling out. Not ten seconds later the vigilantes and the victims emerged on the roof level, which had been transformed into a stage, minus the curtains. There were many folding chairs positioned in front of it but by the time all of the people had gotten themselves seated many, Yusuke and Kuwabara included, were left standing.

"Ladies... er, I mean gentlemen and older gentlemen, boys and... er... more boys, human males of all ages, I now present to you the future queen of Ningenkai's impending matriarch, Cruesa Kuzi," The ice demon announced nervously. She indicated stage left and a towering, curvaceous figure entered from stage right as though on cue. The woman tapped Yukina on the shoulder and the girl looked up, blushing. Cruesa rolled her eyes and sent Yukina away with a wave of her hand. The girl did so gratefully.

The demoness turned to face her crowd and surveyed them coolly through emerald green eyes. Yusuke shuddered when he saw her eyes; they had no pupils. Instantly, he was reminded of Kai's eyes, eyes that he had seen long ago, and suspicions arose in his mind. Suspicions not entirely untrue.

The woman's reddish-brown hair fell to her unadorned shoulders in elaborate curls, wrapping around her chocolate face, highlighting her sensual lips and enhanced features. A black tube top reached her stomach and showed a sliver of toned muscles. Tight black jeans hugged her curvy hips and made her skinny legs look even skinnier. A white studded belt wrapped around her waist and black converse adorned her small feet. A silky black tail poked out from her pants and pointed ears covered in black fur and many a piercing protruded from her perfectly styled hair. She wore a puzzled smile which looked rather attractive on her.

"Why, hello, my future people! I hope we'll be friends. I know Yukina -- bless her heart -- introduced me all formal and stuff, but y'all can just call me Cruesa. Mm-hm, Cruesa is just fine." Yusuke traded glances with Kuwabara, puzzled. Cruesa continued, still wearing her smile. "I was just wondering... Why are some of you sitting? I had hoped to enter to a SRO." Her smile widened, and Yusuke began to harbour serious doubts to her being the one who had lured all these people. With her next sentence, however, all doubts vanished.

"Phase three has begun!"

Then, suddenly, the former spirit detective found himself falling through the floor along with the rest of the group.

"... So here we are, with a soulless ferrygirl, a Tantei gone missing, and an invasion in its final stages on our hands," Kurama finished his retelling of recent events with a sigh and slumped on the bed beside the soulless Botan, who lay with her cotton candy eyes wide open in shock.

Well, don't just sit there. Do something," Genkai suggested calmly as though that was the obvious course. She stood opposite Botan, leaning beside a wall. Kurama sat up and stared at her, wide-eyed.

"What _can_ we do? She ran away of her own accord, we can't force her to come peacefully."

"Why not?"

"We _can't _do that, grandmother," Kai interjected quietly, forcefulness in her voice that was not normally there. She looked up at the elderly woman and made eye contact. Genkai was not frightened. "We simply can't. She ran away for a reason." Memories of Yukina's screamed refusal went through her mind, replying over and over, like a broken record. _You're just as bad as them…_ Kai paused, looked down, and added quietly, so quietly that none save Hiei could hear, "Because of me…"

"We'll see about that! I'll force her if I must. Children these days…," The old woman returned, revoking Kai and Kurama. "And you don't scare me, Kai. Honestly, what is it with teenagers? Think they're so tragic, when really they're just afraid of facing their problems… But it'll catch up with them in the end…" As Genkai shook her head in a disbelieving manner, anger crossed Kai's face; all in the room were visibly startled, and a bit afraid, due to the intimidating aura radiating from Kai's scrawny form and what had happened last time she lost her temper.

"You're one to talk, _grandmother_…" Kai's voice was quiet, but her manner was the very antithesis of it. Her eyes were now shining with inner aggression, suppressed anger of years past; she seemed to be burning from the inside out. "You also ran away."

Genkai shot her a confused look; however, try as she might to hide it, fear began to show in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" A somewhat evil smile rose on Kai's pale face.

"What, forgotten already? Don't you remember Ayame?" The fire in Kai's pupil-less eyes festered, and Hiei felt a sense of impending doom as he remembered one of the memories Kai had unwillingly shared with him. _Ayame…_ He though, then realized who it was. He started toward the girl, but she was already on a roll, inching closer to Genkai.

"Because you forgot about her, your own adopted daughter, the one you never had time for, she held all her anger inside. And when I was left to her, she treated me just as you had treated her…" Kai was angry, no doubt arose as to that; yet her eyes threatened tears.

"_She _didn't care, _Aph_ doesn't care,_ you _don't care! No one _ever _cared! **_No one ever will!_** And now, here you are, making yourself out to some sort of _wonderful, wise_ woman, when in reality you don't know a _thing_! You-"

Genkai slapped the girl forcibly, causing her to stop. Her faded pink eyes too held a fire: a fire of indignation.

"Stop it right now. **Stop it**," The elderly woman ordered sternly, staring down her granddaughter. Kai seemed to be frozen for a moment, staring at her grandmother in shock. She then averted her gaze.

She walked to the wall farthest from the group, banged her head against the wall once (a dent was created) and suddenly began laughing insanely, alight with a golden aura. Seeming suddenly to realize something, she strode toward Genkai, who took a step back for Kai's every step forward. She stopped as she reached the wall, Kai closing in on her, still laughing.

"You know, you're right. So," The demoness said, and she looked truly malevolent for the first time. "I think I'll face my problem, grandmother. What do _you _think?"

Kai angrily struck the nearest bed with a powerful kick and it collapsed immediately. She laughed. "Funny, though; my problem is staring me in the face. It's your fault I'm like this, you know." Kai laughed once more, and held out her arm, underside facing up.

She pulled back her sleeve, and upon her pale skin were dozens upon dozens of crisscrossing pink and white lines. Some looked relatively new. She smiled masochistically, and all in the room were silent, in shock.

Suddenly, she slumped to the ground, not angry, but extremely anguished, and began to cry silently.

Hiei reached out and touched her shoulder against Kurama's frantic telepathic advice. The girl turned sharply. "What? Are you going to tell me I'm crazy, that I'm _insane_?" She snarled, seeming just that; fire seemed to jump from deep wells within her eyes. Hiei, although scared, did not back down. He needed to calm the girl, he needed to make her pain vanish; he knew that much, but he wasn't sure how to go about it of why _he_ was the one who had to help her. _Maybe_, he thought curiously, though he was not entirely convinced of his logic, _it's because she's just like you – rejected._

"What are you doing? This isn't _like_ you. Stop. It's not Genkai's fault. We can get you help, _I_ can get you help. You may be angry, bu-" Kai did not let him finish.

Gold energy hit him in the stomach, and he was instantly blasted against the wall behind him. Covered in his own blood, he slumped to the ground, unconscious and looking for all the world dead.

"You don't know _anything,_ shorty!" The girl yelled angrily, tears falling freely, hitting the ground, her clothes, and anyone in a two centimeter radius. She turned back to the ground once more. The room suddenly shuddered with an evil, ominous aura; bolts of golden energy flew randomly about, destroying nearly everything in the room. An upset of power seemed to have taken place within Kai, and it endangered all in her presence. The two who remained were too shocked to do anything, not to mention afraid of being gravely injured.

Genkai, however, seemed to muster her courage. She glowed with energy. Kai turned, eyes wide, and narrowly avoided being shot by a powerful burst of reiki. Kurama, meanwhile, had backed into a reclusive corner and was petrified with fear.

"Why are you doing this…?" Kai said in a distant voice to her grandmother, still crying. Kurama's fear did not go unnoticed by her, and it made her more unstable. Her tears came more heavily now; knocking Hiei unconscious seemed to have affected more than she let on, though she indeed had not hidden much. The lightning ricocheting throughout the room struck Kurama in the temple and he fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding, like a Hiei with red hair.

"Calm down, Kai! You're dangerous right now, okay? So just calm down, and we can handle this." Genkai sounded calm and rational, but Kai could see through the ruse.

"By doing what?" The demon queried through her now-messy locks of ebony and ivory. "Killing me? That'll solve everything alright, 'cuz I won't be around to burden you." She suddenly stood, as though possessed by a vengeful spirit.

She spread her arms and stood still, rather like a target. "Go on," she whispered quietly, "Kill me. Please, just do it." Genkai stood still as well, stunned by Kai's frank request. When she did not do as Kai asked, anger crossed the girl's tear-stained, blue-striped face.

A loud yell, a flash of gold, and then silence.

Genkai was in the hall outside. Golden bolts of crackling electricity surrounded her and she was frozen in mid-scream. She looked rather like she was dead.

Kai again fell to her knees, seeming to have gotten ahold of her mind once more.

"Oh my God," She whispered, horrorstruck as she stared at her still smoking hands. "**_Oh my fucking God_**." Through her mind, many things flashed, things which no one else could see, things which no one else had ever wanted to see, things which no one, if Kai could help it, would ever see.

_A seven-year-old girl, standing over a young boy's fresh corpse, blood all over herself._

Flash.

_That same girl, looking at a young woman's corpse, surrounded by gun-toting gangsters, a clever-looking man identical to the woman on the ground, save for his gender, holding a still smoking gun. He turned it toward the girl._

Flash.

_Now the girl was surrounded by the corpses of her would-be assassins, and she was again caked in blood._

Flash.

_The girl was older, a teenager, and she now stood in the rubble of a house, underneath which a man was buried, judging by the bloody hand sticking out from the mess._

Flash.

_The girl was not much older, and was closer to the modern-day Kai; she looked to be about fourteen, as opposed to Kai's current fifteen. She was cutting meatloaf, sneering at it, mouthing complaints about murder of animals. She was yelled at, and then slapped by Aph, and then the woman left. She, Kai, looked at the cutting knife, ran her finger over its edge. She raised it and slashed her arm. _

"This cannot be happening. This _cannot _be happening..." She chanted fearfully. She remembered running, always running, escaping her bad deeds.

She remembered attempting to attend church those few times, and not finding the answers she needed.

She grasped the chain around her neck and extracted it from underneath her shirt. It was a heart-shaped locket. She gripped it tightly, and then ripped it off of her neck. It fell to the floor with a _chink_.

A tear hit the floor as she ran as far as she could, running away from the temple and into who-knows-where, running as though she could outrun her actions, her past, and her present.

Maybe she could even stop her future.

**A/N**: Interesting, no? I just wish more people would review. Well, I'd say there's at least five more chapters left to this story, so enjoy. You've got plenty of time, 'cause I don't update too regularly.


	11. Frozen Fire

**Yin Yang**

Chapter Eleven: Frozen fire

Yusuke groped frantically for Kuwabara's arm as he fell level after level, through the perfectly square hole which was cut through all six floors of the former parking structure.

Sharp air whipped his chocolate hair and the boy flattened it self-consciously as he found his friend's arm. The boy turned to his fellow vigilante sharply, his orange tuft shaking as they flew past the sign signifying the fourth floor.

"What!" He yelled over the _whooshing _of the atmosphere. Fear could be heard in his voice and it shone in his deep brown irises.

"We're not dead just yet!" Yusuke, too, had to yell over the atmosphere. The zombie-people, meanwhile, had slumped hopelessly, or perhaps asleep. Upon closer examination, one could see that the latter was true.

"What d'you mean, Urameshi? Of course we're dead! We're three floors away from do-"

"Shut up, will ya? Now listen, use your Reiken and we're all set."

Kuwabara's eyes were suddenly hopeful. "Y'mean... We can rescue Yuki-chan?"

Yusuke sighed and panic rose in his chest as the two passed the second floor sign. "Yes, if you _hurry up_!"

"Okay, then, hold on!" The orange-haired boy summoned a crackling orange blade in his hands and Yusuke tightened his grip on the boy's arm, almost cutting off Kuwabara's circulation. Kuwabara gave Keiko's boyfriend an odd look, as though to say "Be a man!" and he, Yusuke, loosed his grip, but only slightly. Kuwabara rolled his eyes (Yusuke closed his) and yelled, "Sword get long!"

They flew upward on the spear-like aura weapon, just escaping the large cage that the crowd around them fell into with a dull thud. Quite a few of them, Yusuke thought bemusedly, probably lost consciousness.

They two boys landed, luckily enough, atop a cushioned area of the platform where Cruesa had spoken. Unluckily enough, the demoness had not yet left, her servant in her shadow, both literally and figuratively.

"I'll save you, Yuki-chan!" Kuwabara yelled valiantly, if not somewhat desperately. Yukina did not respond. Cruesa eyed the two venomously; the charisma with which she addressed the crowd seemed to have dissolved into nothing.

"So..." The dark-skinned demoness drawled and her voice was no longer casual and fun, as it was before. It was now dark and sour, as though she deeply regretted the vigilantes' presence. _No surprise there... _Yusuke mused as he steadied himself to look a little tougher, although he was still shaky from Kuwabara's poor control. Cruesa laughed eerily and somewhere deep in Yusuke's mind, the former Spirit Detective remembered a laugh like it. The notion was just as soon pushed to the back of his mind, and there it remained, present but dormant. "You're Yusuke, are you? Pretty pathetic for a Spirit Detective if you ask me."

"No one asked you!â€ The boy snapped. The woman's insult had struck an emotional chord and she knew it, if the growing grin on her pretty face was any indication.

"Well, you _were_ fired, so..."

"Shut up, hag!" Yusuke yelled angrily as he began to glow with his usual blue-white aura. He took another step toward Cruesa as anger crossed his face. "Now tell us: _what is your plan_?" His hazel eyes burned with the promise of vengeance as he thought of all those people who had been unwittingly lured into a steel trap, all those mothers, wives and girlfriends who had been unknowingly left, unwillingly abandoned by those they cared for. Keiko's face rose into his mind, and it did nothing to improve his temper. "If you won't tell..." He left the sentence hanging in the air.

"We'll make you!" Kuwabara added rather unnecessarily but still threateningly. He, too, was surrounded in an aura, this one his own orange one. He held fast to his javelin, prepared to attack.

Cruesa merely laughed.

Emerald eyes sparkling in malevolence, she whispered with superiority, "Is that a threat?"

"No," Yusuke retorted, also quietly, also with malevolence. "It's a _promise_, and one I intend to _keep_."

"Well, sorry, but you won't be doing that," Cruesa responded coolly as she lifted two slim fingers and pointed one each at both Kuwabara and Yusuke. They stepped back slightly, each on his guard against whatever the powerful demoness could throw at them. Cruesa's grin widened, although it curved downward a little, as though she was puzzled yet glad. "That won't help, fellas. I'm a lot more powerful than the both of you combined, and you don't stand a chance." This was not, to Yusuke's surprise, spoken with arrogance but rather flatly, in a matter-of-fact tone. The woman now held a ball of bronze energy in-between her two fingers. "Sorry, but this's how it's got to be. Too bad, 'cause you're kinda cute..." She smiled sadly at Yusuke, and Kuwabara was rather disgruntled. "... For am unemployed half-breed anyway."

The roof was flooded with bronze light and the vigilantes suddenly found themselves bound and, in Yusuke's case, gagged with ropes of crackling bronze energy. Kuwabara, much to his dismay, had disengaged his Reiken in the chaos and could not summon it again, due to his restraints. Cruesa surveyed the situation coolly through some loose reddish-brown strands in her dark face. She pushed the hair aside and motioned for Yukina, who had been watching indifferently the entire time, to approach her.

"Yuki, sweetie, I _hate_ this soul-sapping thing, so would'ja take care of these two for me?" The dark-skinned, green-eyed demoness gave a sad smile to Kuwabara and Yusuke again questioned the ideal that this woman was one of the "bad guys." "Sorry, kid, but love really _does_ hurt." And with that, Cruesa walked off and out of sight, toward the elevator.

As Yukina approached her former friends, the boys' attention was diverted, so they did not notice that Cruesa never entered the elevator, but instead hid behind the wall of the elevator's area and listened intently.

Yukina looked down as Kuwabara first, hands surrounded in a turquoise aura, eyes coldly apathetic.

"Yuki-chan... _Please_..." The ningen pleaded, hoping very much for a reaction, and hoping it was a positive one.

Yukina's mouth twitched.

"Sorry." The whisper was barely audible, but Kuwabara heard it clearly. His eyes met Yukina's, but all the brown-black connected with was frozen fire.

Five minutes later, both boys lay limply on the platform. Yusuke sported a large purple bruise.

"I knew that one was feisty," Cruesa commented calmly as she steep out from behind her hiding place. Yukina did not respond. The demoness frowned and prodded further. "I meant what I said, y'know. I ain't no sadist."

A tear-shaped gem of the purest crystal hit the ground, followed by two more.

"He loves me," Yukina whispered tearfully, looking mournfully at the boy's soulless body. "The ugly one, he's called Kuwabara. He's _always_ trying to impress me."

"I noticed," Cruesa replied dryly. Yukina giggled shakily.

"It's not that hard to see, if truth be told." Yukina turned to face her mistress, looking downcast. Her eyes were no longer frosty, but wet, as though her crimson irises had melted the coldness. "But... I have nothing in return." Cruesa smiled comfortingly and summoned her slave's chain telepathically.

"You're so lucky you got me, kid. You'd been slapped right then and there for weakness, were I Melodia. C'mon, kid, I got a meeting to keep and fiery boss to pacify."

**A/N**: Short, I know. But at least it's to the point. R+R, as always. Ja mata ne!


End file.
